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Big day in the East!
After yesterday’s Western big matchday, the schedule sees five games in the Eastern Conference. In the Far East, Amur welcomes Neftekhimik while Admiral takes on Salavat Yulaev. Then, in Novosibirsk, Sibir faces Vityaz. In the central match of the day, Traktor clashes with Ak Bars, then Lada hosts Barys as both teams try to return to victory.
From Yekaterinburg, where the team suffered from a 1:2 defeat, Ak Bars will head straight to Chelyabinsk to face Conference-leading Traktor. This season, Anvar Gatiyatulin’s matchups against his former (and, in many ways, home) team have been intriguing—back in October, Traktor won 3-1, but just before New Year’s, the Kazan side took a commanding 4:0 shutout victory. That game saw standout performances from Artyom Galimov (2+0), Nicolas Petan (1+2), and Amir Miftakhov, who stopped all 25 shots he faced. Predicting the winner of this next clash seems almost impossible – both sides will have plenty of arguments and motivation. Traktor is still leading the Eastern Conference, while Ak Bars sits in fourth place. Both sides have already clinched a playoff spot.
Earlier in the day, Amur welcomes Neftekhimik, while Admiral faces Salavat Yulaev. While the Tigers lost any hope for a postseason qualification, the Wolves can still fight – they are six points behind Sibir, and a win in Khabarovsk could do wonders for their chances, especially should Sibir lose to Vityaz later in Novosibirsk. Amur is currently on a seven-match losing streak and starts a four-game homestand today. This game can however be important for the playoffs picture in another way – should the Wolves fall to Amur, Avangard (not playing today) will book a ticket for the elimination stage.
The Sailors are in a much better position, with their seventh place in the standings and a nine-point cushion over Neftekhimik. Today, they face Salavat Yulaev for the third time this season, with the teams trading wins so far. Most recently, Admiral celebrated road victories over Barys (4:2) and Sibir (5:2), while Salavat Yulaev defeated Lada on home ice (3:2), halting a three-game skid. Salavat Yulaev is currently the third seed in the East. The four teams are set for a rematch in the Far East in two days, then, the home sides will swap opponents for another double header.
As said, in Novosibirsk, Sibir hosts Vityaz. The hosts are on a five-game skid and will need a win to secure their postseason ticket – Neftekhimik is pushing. However, Vityaz is also on a losing streak, with consecutive losses to Avangard (3:4 OT) and Avtomobilist (1:2), and only one win in its last five matches. Sibir is still the favorite to get into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, but much will also depend on Neftekhimik’s results.
The KHL matchday ends with a showdown between Lada and Barys. The Togliatti side has three straight losses, to Salavat Yulaev (2:3), Ak Bars (1:2), and Traktor (1:4), and is in tenth place in the East. Barys lost its last nine matches, and is experimenting a lot with its roster, giving plenty of space to younger players. Despite the losses, several new players are finding their groove within the Barys roster, like 21-years-old Dinmukhamed Kaiyrzhan, who is on a three-game scoring streak, and 22-years-old Nikolai Shulga, who has three helpers in his last couple of matches.
12:00: Amur (13-38-7, 11th E) vs Neftekhimik (19-24-15, 9th E)
About the game
Amur starts a four-game home series on a seven-match losing streak.
Neftekhimik enters the third game of a six-match road trip following a win over Traktor on Sunday (3:1).
The season series between the two teams is 0-2 (1:4, 3:4 SO).
Amur’s forward Devin Brosseau is on a four-game scoring streak, with 5 (2+3) points over that span.
Neftekhimik’s forward Bulat Shafigullin is on a three-game scoring streak, with 5 (3+2) points.
Injury list
Neftekhimik: Roman Abrosimov, Alexander Dergachyov, Yegor Korbit, Mikhail Pashnin.
Milestone alert
Neftekhimik’s forward Vyacheslav Leshchenko may reach 100 KHL goals (currently at 99), 100 assists (currently at 99), and 200 points (currently at 198).
12:30: Admiral (26-22-10, 7th E) vs Salavat Yulaev (37-19-3, 3rd E)
About the game
Admiral starts a six-game home series following two straight wins.
Salavat Yulaev starts a four-game road trip after defeating Lada on Tuesday (3:2).
The season series between the two teams is 1-1 (1:2, 4:2).
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Alexander Chmelevsky is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Admiral: Artyom Chmykhov, Vyacheslav Osnovin.
Salavat Yulaev: Gleb Kuzmin.
Milestone alert
Salavat Yulaev’s forward Joshua Leivo lines up for his 100th league appearance. He has 60 goals and 53 assists in his KHL career.
Salavat Yulaev’s head coach Viktor Kozlov reaches the 250-game mark in the league.
15:30: Sibir (25-24-9, 8th E) vs Vityaz (21-30-8, 10th W)
About the game
Sibir is in the middle of a three-game home series and lost its previous five matches.
Vityaz ends a three-game road trip on a two-match losing streak.
Injury list
Sibir: Fyodor Gordeyev.
Vityaz: Ivan Chekhovich, Vladimir Galuzin.
Milestone alert
Vityaz’s goalie Dmitry Shikin may record his 10th KHL shutout.
17:00: Traktor (38-16-6, 1st E) vs Ak Bars (37-20-2, 2nd E)
About the game
Traktor is in the middle of a five-game home series and lost to Neftekhimik on Sunday (1:3).
Ak Bars is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost to Avtomobilist on Wednesday (1:2).
The season series between the two sides is 1-1 (3:1, 0:4).
Traktor’s forward Vitaly Kravtsov is on a four-game scoring streak, with 4 (2+2) points over that span.
Traktor’s forward Mikhail Goryunov-Rolgizer is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (2+1) points.
Injury list
Ak Bars: Yegor Babenko.
18:00: Lada (20-32-6, 10th E) vs Barys (11-41-7, 12th E)
About the game
Lada plays the lone home game of the series on a three-game losing streak.
Barys is in the middle of a three-game road trip and lost its previous nine matches.
The season series between the two teams is 3-0 (5:0, 1:0, 4:2).
Barys’ forward Dinmukhamed Kayirzhan is on a three-game scoring streak, with 3 (1+2) points over that span.
Injury list
Lada: Denis Barantsev, Vladislav Chervonenko, Maxim Groshev, Pavel Koltygin.
Barys: Nikita Boyarkin, Maxim Mukhametov, Kirill Savitsky.
